You don't necessarily have to pay for a great email solution for your small business.

If you're tempted by premium business-class email services such as Google Apps for Business or Microsoft Office 365, consider a free service first. Gmail, Outlook or Yahoo! Mail might meet all the needs of your business, without the monthly fees.

For new business owners, sticking with a free service can also afford you the time to let your business grow. Until you have at least a handful of employees, you might not need the features that paid email provides, such as collaboration tools and shared calendars. And waiting might make it easier to pick the right paid service for the long haul, especially if your company grows quickly.

But don't settle on just any webmail service. Read on for five features you should look for in a free email solution for your small business. Then check out BusinessNewsDaily's sister site, TopTenREVIEWS, for a full review and feature breakdown of the most popular free email services on the Web.

Custom email addresses

You want to appear professional, even if you're not using a professional-grade email service. That's why it's so important to link your free email account with a custom email address that includes the name of your business or website. Instead of yourname@outlook.com, your email address can be yourname@yourbusiness.com. An email address that includes your brand can give even the smallest of businesses an air of professionalism, and that's important when you're networking or connecting with new clients or customers.

Not every free email service allows users to set up a branded email address, and some require you to pay a recurring fee for the privilege. If you intend to stick with a free email service, be sure to pick one that allows you to customize the domain name in your address.

Advanced security features

Just because you're using a free email service doesn't mean you don't deserve top-of-the-line security tools. The best free email services don't just shield your inbox from spam. They also help protect your business machines against viruses and malware by scanning attachments and filtering suspicious messages.

Some services also restrict automatic downloads that could infect your machine, and offer phishing filters to screen against malicious emails that ask for personal information like passwords and credit card numbers. Even savvy small business owners can benefit from these automated security features, especially as your company grows.

Substantial inbox storage

You inbox is a record of every email correspondence you and your employees have made. By picking a service with generous storage limits, you can worry less about deleting and archiving old messages. That means your old emails, especially those that came with important attachments, will still be there whenever you need them.

Inbox storage limits vary widely among free services. Google provides 15GB of free storage for its Gmail service. But even that considerable amount of space might not be enough if you frequently deal with large email attachments. By comparison, other popular free services such as Yahoo! Mail cap your inbox at 1TB, and Microsoft's Outlook has no cap on the number of email messages you can store.

Generous Attachment Limits

Does running your business mean sending and receiving large files such as spreadsheets, product orders or presentations? Most webmail services limit attachment sizes to between 10-25MB . That's enough to send Word documents, but if you need to attach multiple PDFs or other large files, you'll hit the limit in a hurry.

Many modern email services allow users to send much, much larger files by pairing your email with a cloud storage service. Google lets Gmail users send files up to 10GB, so long as the file is first uploaded to a Google Drive account. Similarly, Microsoft's Outlook accommodates files up to a whopping 300GB if they're uploaded to SkyDrive, and Yahoo! Mail offers similar functionality in conjunction with Dropbox.

IMAP Support

IMAP stands for Internet Message Access Protocol. Email services that support IMAP allow for true two-way email management, so any email you send or receive in any IMAP client will synchronize with the provider's server.

Not every free email service includes IMAP support, but it's a must-have for business users. IMAP allows you to access your email through a mobile app or desktop client, in addition to the provider's Web portal. That gives you more options to read, sort and be notified of new messages, so you can always stay on top of your email inbox. When looking for a way to access and manage your email across desktop and mobile devices, opt for IMAP over POP (Post Office Protocol.) POP allows you to download your email to any computer of mobile device, but erases your email from the main server in the process.
- Source at: http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5545-free-email-services.html

PictureWhile large chain stores can often offer low prices, predictable inventory and flashy displays, don't be intimidated by their size. Bigger is not always better when it comes to connecting with customers and earning sales. The trick is to take advantage of the benefits of being small and nimble. Here are four tips to help small business owners and websites compete against the big guys – and win.Get Creative

It's hard to beat chain stores on prices and selection, so find other ways to make your products and services stand out. Amy Boroff, owner of Be Craftful toy and gift store in New Jersey, stopped carrying a lot of retail inventory and opted for customization instead, according to Inc. Magazine. The small store became a destination for arts-and-crafts-themed birthday parties, school field trips, and even ladies' nights. This wide range of products brought in adult customers as well as kids. By being flexible – and creative enough – to sell products in different ways, the store was able to successfully grow business.

Earn Trust

Big companies may offer cheaper goods, but Americans trust small businesses three times more than larger businesses, according to a recent Gallup poll. Small businesses can use their local knowledge to make better connections with customers, and earn their confidence. Mike Bodart, who owns Indiana-based Hoosier Sporting Goods, stocks specialty items rather than commonly sold goods. He then uses his expertise to help customers make better buying decisions, according to the authors of Roadside MBA, who interviewed small business owners nationwide for their book. Bodart also uses his local knowledge to increase sales, such as stocking up t-shirts in the local high school's brown and orange colors before big games.

Give Back

Today's customers are more socially conscious than ever before – a big advantage for small businesses and websites that can do well by doing good. Florida company Complete the Pair, for example, helps its customers generate sales prospects through social impact. Customers buy a pair of sneakers and send just one to a sales prospect with a note requesting “a foot in the door." If the prospect accepts the meeting request, and completes the pair, the shoes are donated to someone in need. Companies that sponsor a local team, donate to a charity or find other ways to give back can engage customers and earn their loyalty, too.

Innovate and Improve

Small businesses can compete with larger companies by focusing on quality over quantity. As specialized experts, small businesses can win customers away from even the biggest chains if they innovate and create better quality products. Leah McMahon, owner of the Oregon-based gourmet coffee shop Silk Espresso, competes directly with Starbucks by focusing on the quality of her coffee beans, including improved sourcing, storage and serving techniques, the Road MBA authors report. McMahon also personally trains each and every barista herself to ensure that her drinks are brewed to the highest standards - and claims a loyal customer base as her reward.

Small businesses and websites actually have many advantages over big businesses that can often be slow to respond to change, over-generalized and lacking in local knowledge. With the right mission and message, small businesses can triumph over competitors of any size.